Update: Since there are a lot of upset AT&T customers out there, a caring tipster decided to drop a photo over at Android Central that suggests AT&T may be getting a keyboard-less version of the GSII as well. With that said, I will express my absolute skepticism about this. There is but a single picture, and we all know how easily photographs can be manipulated. So, before you get too excited, I urge you all to take this at face value until we get more proof.

Boy Genius Report landed some exclusive pictures of AT&T's variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II, and it's going to be the crown jewel of QWERTY lovers across the country with its slide-out physical keyboard:

According to BGR, the GSII still retains a rather thin profile, despite the addition of the keyboard.

When word of this slider leaked out yesterday, it was unclear exactly what it was - but this new set of shots verifies that it is indeed the Galaxy S II:

BGR's tipster also took the liberty of performing some common benchmarks, which yielded some unmatched results.

While there is no word on whether or not the rest of the innards of this monster phone have changed from the European variants, there is one thing for certain: the Galaxy S II is coming to the US, and it's coming soon. We're not entirely sure if it will carry the Galaxy S II moniker or take on a different name entirely (like the Galaxy S/Captivate), but hopefully we'll find out soon.

Cameron is a self-made geek, Android enthusiast, horror movie fanatic, musician, and cyclist. When he's not pounding keys here at AP, you can find him spending time with his wife and kids, plucking away on the 6-string, spinning on the streets, or watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on repeat.

Comments

My heart just skipped a beat...never mind, just the atrial fib popping up again.

When is the damn thing coming to the US?!?!?

Chris

SOON, says right in the article

nick

Dear Sprint, please don't add a QWERTY like AT&T. Please, please don't ruin this beloved phone that I want so badly, but not at all if you add a slide out keyboard. Please.

http://robert.aitchison.org Robert Aitchison

I don't think you can call it a "full" keyboard if it's only got 4 rows.

ben dover

Glad I'm not on at&t! My heart goes out to all those who have been waiting and waiting for this on at&t only to find it's been ruined with the slide out keyboard :)

Dlux

I'm crying inside right now because of this article.

Elvis

Wouldn't be SO bad if it was like d3 keyboard... and word on 4g? (Keeping high hopes for vzw version) or 1.4 dual core?

Andrew

NO! NO! NO! I was waiting eagerly to upgrade to the GSII September 1. Why the hell did they ruin a perfectly good phone?! Bastards! Does Samsung's best selling phone ever have a keyboard? NO! Why ruin it? Does AT&T know better than the market? What do I do now? I still have three other phones on contract that don't run out until next spring. I am SO pissed right now.

j

i feel sorry for you guys... keyboard on a phone... stupid... just stupid.

lilhugo

Wow I'm surprised at all the hate for the qwerty keyboard...
There really isn't too many Android devices with keyboards out there so this is a good move on Samsung's behalf.
If it works like the GS2 then it should be gravy whether there's a keyboard or not correct?
Can someone clarify why they don't like it so much??

IamBeast

The whole point of SGS II was that it was one of THE thinnest smartphones on the market. Basically, with the addition of the keyboard, Samsung loses that and the phone loses it's "sexy" form. The reason people loved the SGS II so much was that it was such a good looking phone. Based on those pictures, it just looks like crap.

http://blog.firstdove.com Christian

They added a slide-out landscape qwerty, and also changed the 3-button (1 physical, 2 capacitive) to a 4-button capacitive...

They may have similar internal specs as the
Galaxy S II released elsewhere, but wouldn't it be less confusing if they just launched it under a different model name?

nctrnl

I hope the other carriers don't follow suit...

Congrats ATT you have ruined a great thing

L boogie

Found out from a tech site that "supposedly" August 12, Verizon might unleash the galaxy s 2 upon the masses and for at&t to unleash this variant makes absolutely no sense..... only question I and lots of others would like to know if the sgs 2 is gonna be 4g/ lte compatible

IamBeast

From the ridiculously long delay, I'm guessing that Samsung is trying their best to engineer the phone so that it stays thin and yet can fit a 4G LTE radio inside of it. Otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense as to why they have delayed it so long.

L boogie

That could explain it as well as the 1.4 dual core variant coming soon, thanx for the 411

panic

Looks like AT&T wants to be special and follow in daddy sprints foot steps with the keyboard trick. Epic ?

aburgthing

Doesn't look like the Euro variant of the SG2. Must be because of Apple. Notice the search button is back? I hope Sprint doesn't do the keyboard too.

todd

I'd say ATT users lucked out with this. The regular Galaxy S2 already works on the ATT network so as far as I'm concerned, this gives ATT users a choice between 2 variants of the S2 as opposed to Verizon and Sprint's 1.

Myria

Sad. I've been looking forward to replacing my Captivate with a GS2. But that abomination? Wouldn't take it if AT&T wanted to give it to me for free.

REITdude

The big question has always been "How will US carriers ruin an otherwise awesome phone?" Question answered for AT&T - what a POS! How will Verizon and Sprint ruin it?

ItemSize

You're all tards. That is very clearly NOT the SGS2.

Noonards.

Jasmine

So where's the -1 button so I can down-rate this pile of crap?

http://www.academia-nutcrackers.com funnycreature

That makes waiting for the Nexus 3/prime easier!

http://pandroid.c-base.org Dirk

Maybe it needs the keyboard for then US market so it's not shut down by Apple?

Logan W

They shouldn't have to, the original iPhone, announced only in January 2007 (and released in June 2007) actually looks like the SGH-Z610 that had cleared FCC and was showcased in many tech blogs by August 2006.

Apple's iPhone looks and works similar to the Z610 - multitouch screen, etc. and even down to the single round physical button at the bottom of the display, with a triangle in the for music "play". (contrast it with how apple also had a circular physical button, but uses a square instead of the triangle)

The Z610 also had 2 non-circled buttons flanking the side of the middle button, much like how the European Galaxy S II does, showing that Samsung's currently design did not come from Apple's iPhone, but from the Z610.

The iPhone was the copycat in this case, really not sure why Samsung never brought this up in court.

http://pandroid.c-base.org Dirk

Maybe it needs the keyboard for then US market, so it's not shut down by Apple?

Jasmine

Don't be a thick cunt, Dirk.

Edd

Jeez Jasmine, language

Jasmine

Yeah, I know, but Dirk really does sound like a thick cunt, doesn't he?

jebus

at&t is going to have both a qwerty version and non qwerty version. All you jive turkeys who dont like the keyboard are upset over nothing. and your moms are ugly.

Jasmine

Yeah, but your "mom" makes them look HOT!

Nerdy Desi

Too bad I'm one of the few that WANTS a keyboard. Too many people want an anorexic phone these days. I like physical buttons, I like them better than a virtual keyboard that covers half of the screen. I like them for games and emulators. Hope a keyboard version comes to more carrierss!

Rman

Yes so do I. Don't worry there are plenty of us that do. You can text far faster and more accurately with a keyboard than on screen.

Touch-screen smartphones just DON'T cut it when you're trying to send an email! I tried iphone and other keyboard-less cellphones and they suck for sending emails!! This Samsung Galaxy S2 on AT&T will hopefully be a miracle for business ppl.

Rman

Yes totally agree. If AT&T is in fact going to offer both versions that would be the ultimate.

http://digg.com/users/OmegaWolf Silver Fang

The addition of a keyboard never ruins a phone. It makes the phone more practical. I'll take practical over sexy and thin any time.